Morgan Carter

Halal restaurants were once commonly associated with those food trucks you go to for edible respite from sad office lunches or late-night drunkenness. But fast-forward a few years, and those salt-of-the-earth, go-to carts now have international reach. Breaking beyond the confines of chicken and rice, taquerias, smash burger joints and Thai lounges about town have fully embraced the halal lifestyle. Whether you keep halal or just want to be inclusive of every eater in your party, New York's halal scene certainly delivers.   RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in NYC Updated February 2026: Ramadan Mubarak, New York! In honor of the holy month of Ramadan, we figured it was best to give our halal restaurants a much-needed overhaul. We added Ariana Afghan Kebab, Ayat, Bungalow, Hyderabadi Zaiqa, Little Flower Cafe, Librae Bakery, Tashkent Supermarket, Top Thai and Yafa Cafe. We removed Farook Halal Food, Halal Guys, Istanbul Kebab House, Marrakesh, Pizza & Pita and Sammy’s Halal Cart. 

Whether you’re margherita-loving purist or an all-the-toppings enthusiast, a fan of New York-style, Detroit-style, Neapolitan-style or your own whacky style, everybody’s their definition of a dream pizza. But cities all over the world have put their own spin on the dish, too, and that’s why we called on our international network of editors and writers to share the weirdest, tastiest and most lip-smacking pizzas where they live. So, feast your eyes on Time Out’s freshly-baked roundup of the best pizzas on the planet.  RECOMMENDED:🍝The best cities in the world for food🥪The best sandwiches in the world🥩The best steaks in the world This list was edited by Liv Kelly, Time Out’s travel writer. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Looking for a new spot to watch the big game? Our list of NYC’s best sports bars includes rowdy beer halls, low-key hangs with craft brews, some of NYC’s best dive bars and even a bar dedicated to all things Canadian. Whether you need a weekly place to root for your footie team or just want to drink a few great brews with friends, we’ve rounded up our favorite places to shout at a really big TV. RECOMMENDED: See all of the best bars in NYC February 2026: To prepare for the coming Super Bowl this weekend (or, for some, the Bad Bunny halftime show), we decided to refresh our sports bars list. We added Athena Keke's and The Hairy Lemon. We removed Twist & Smash'd Sports as it closed. We also removed Jack Demsey’s, The Irish Rover and The Black Horse Pub. 

Whether you love it or you’re still deciding which way to swipe, Valentine’s Day raises feelings like heart-shaped mylar balloons escaping to their destiny in the sky. For some, it evokes notions of romantic restaurants and big candy boxes. For others, it inspires a hasty run in the direction of the closest dive bar. In any case, the big day will arrive, and before you know it, reservations will be full up. So book while the booking is good before you're both feeling blue. And remember that old love poem on this, and every culinary holiday, “Roses are red, violets are blue, prices are pre-tax and tip, and spots book quickly, too." RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Valentine’s Day for NYC Updated February 2026: This guide has been updated to reflect this year’s best picks for Valentine’s Day dinners, adding Birds, Cafe Commerce, HAGS, Kiko, Saishin, Kings Co Imperial and Park Rose We removed some restaurants that are fantastic (but sadly already booked), including the Crane Club, Le Jardinier, Le Rock and The Noortwyck  

New York City's brilliant Black community is constantly making this town one of the best places to live, creating incredible spaces for culture and art to flourish and opening expertly crafted restaurants and bars. If you're looking for a way to support Black-owned businesses, these amazing restaurants created, owned and run by Black New Yorkers are an excellent place to start.  Updated February 2026: Periodically, part of my job is to update our best of lists—sushi, pizza, what have you. Inevitably, as I review each list, I will see that a handful of restaurants have closed over the course of the year. But when I approached our best Black-owned restaurants list, I was surprised to learn that out of the 45 restaurants we previously listed, only seven restaurants have closed up shop (Freda's Caribbean & Soul Cuisine, Negril BK, Pig & Butter, Reverence, Seasoned Vegan, Snowdonia and Queen of Sheba) while two are temporarily closed (Ghenet Brooklyn and Sugarcane). Unfortunately, it seems to follow a trend, as Black-owned business owners face a set of different challenges in this industry, starting with less access to capital, coupled with systemic racism and stigma. For Black History Month, I implore you to visit your favorite Black-owned businesses (and often)—share their stories, uplift them, and most importantly, frequent their seats. As part of the update, we added Je T'aime Pattisserie and Hav & Mar. We also removed Angel of Harlem, Brown Butter Craft Bar & Kitchen, Cheryl

New York City Restaurant Week’s winter edition is back! More than 500 restaurants are offering special pre-fixe menus citywide from January 20 to February 12. This year’s price points are $30, $45 and $60 for brunch, lunch and dinner menus on the days of each venue’s choosing. With so many sensational spots and so little time to taste them all, it can be hard to narrow the field. Luckily, we've thumbed through the list and highlighted the top options to snag that reservation. Check out the best places to visit and everything to order during NYC Restaurant Week this winter. Updated February 2026: NYC's Restaurant Week is still going strong, with over 580 restaurants doling out deals. We did the due diligence of thumbing through the entire list (yes, seriously), sorting out the best deals to book this season. Before it closes on February 12, we added some new recommendations, including Four Twenty Five, Le B., and Markette—featuring a grilled prawn that topped the list of the best things we ate in 2025.

Choosing a favorite restaurant in New York City is a joyful task with myriad possibilities depending on the occasion, mood and even the time of year. Your favorite dive, fine dining destination and neighborhood favorite might all occupy top spots on your personal best list in spite of their disparate qualities.  Our list of NYC’s 45 best restaurants is the same, spanning each of those categories and more to comprise a catalogue of all the places we wish we were at right now. They don’t have to be the newest or the most recently reviewed, just places that we’ve been to and want to return to again and again, and that we think that you will, too.  Best NYC restaurants at a glance: For classy Caribbean: Kabawa - At chef Paul Carmichael's tasting counter, you'll find simmering and slow-cooked goat, pepper shrimp and all the vibes (East Village) For an excellent steakhouse: Hawksmoor - Aged steaks, a stunning dining hall and an excellent sticky toffee pudding are the calling cards of this London-born import (Gramercy) For trendy pizza: Mama's Too - A New York slice shop that dabbles in triangle and square slices (Upper East Side and West Village) For dinner party like vibes: Dept of Culture – Chef Ayo Balogun's nightly dinner party includes fiery pepper soup among its Nigerian fare (Bed Stuy) For exciting Mexican: Oxomoco – A fun, wood-fired Mexican spot with creative tacos and standout frozen cocktails (Greenpoint) February 2026: Winter marks a slow season for restauran

New York City has all manner of marvelous Japanese food options, including top-notch ramen spots, excellent izakayas, and fabulous food in food courts. We also have an abundance of sushi options, and narrowing them down can be a happy challenge. Here, we’ve collected our favorite special occasion destinations and more casual spots, all amounting to the best sushi NYC has to offer.  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in NYC Updated January 2025: I spent a good majority of the top of this year, ducking in and out of well-worn izakayas and sacred halls dedicated to the art of sushi. We added some of New York's finest to the list (and some of the most expensive), including the two counters found at Williamsburg's Shota Omakase, the two Michelin-starred hinoki counter, Sushi Noz and the three Michelin-starred Sushi Sho. We also added the tried-and-true Blue Ribbon Sushi. We removed Shuko as it closed this month. We also removed Hasaki, Kanoyama and Sasabune NY.

Name recognition and lore will always attract a certain number of people to “iconic” restaurants, but do long lines and waiting lists and wall-to-wall reservations mean that they’re worth going to? To call a restaurant “iconic” means that it’s more than just a place to eat—it’s a symbol for tradition, its respective niche, and maybe most importantly, the city itself. But ask any New Yorker and they’ll tell you: many “iconic” restaurants coast on hype and reputation. So what should you look for when you want to have a great experience at a supposedly “iconic” New York restaurant? We’ve boiled it down to three criteria: consistent quality, value for time and/or money, and, in the absence of a single-star dish, an overall experience that’s emblematic of something larger—a neighborhood, a cuisine, a style. Maybe you’re visiting. Maybe you’re a newcomer. Maybe you’ve lived here for years and haven’t gone to any place you’ve heard about because you’re afraid it would hurt your cred. Well, take this as permission. Every place below is worth a visit at least once.Updated January 2026: Searching our souls, it didn’t really feel right to recommend places whose line is prohibitively long and you’ve probably heard of anyway. We’ve also swapped out any places that are only worth the visit to tick off a box on a list–whatever else they may be, every place on here serves delicious food. Finally, we swapped out some overhyped spots in order to highlight different cultures and cuisines–what m

Reservations for NYC Restaurant Week are live! Over 500 restaurants are offering seriously discounted prix-fixe meals, priced at $30, $45 and $60, from January 20 to February 12, 2026. So now is the time to thumb through your bucket list of restaurants and make a reservation, ASAP. Even better, several of NYC’s award-winning restaurants are participating, including a few recognized by the Michelin Guide, from the Bib Gourmands to those that have captured those coveted stars. Just think of it this way: these Michelin-rated restaurants will be providing the same quality meal at seriously discounted prices, so everyone wins, especially your wallet. Here are our top Michelin Guide-rated restaurants to book for NYC Restaurant Week. RECOMMENDED: The best things to order at NYC Restaurant Week’s top spots for winter 2026 Updated January 2026: We thumbed through each Michelin-rated restaurant and updated menu options and pricing for each. We added a few Bib Gourmands to this list this go around, including Dhamaka and Nami Nori. We removed Le B and Nougatine at Jean-Georges.

The holidays seem to start earlier and fly by faster every year. One way to extend all that cheer and good will is to pack these fleeting weeks with all manner of topical activities. In addition to the classics like tree-peeping and light-looking, New York City has plenty of on-the-reindeer’s-nose holiday pop-up bars to immerse yourself in the spirit of the season—with spirits—throughout the most wonderful time of the year. So gather your loved ones and go on a little Christmas crawl this year, why don't you? RECOMMENDED: See the full guide to Christmas in New York Updated December 8, 2025: December is here and we are in fully holiday mode baby. Perfect for visiting parties or groups who just need a bit of holiday cheer, we've recently added two new wintry experiences to check out this month: Gnomeo's at Romeo's and Le Chalet at L’Avenue at Saks. We've also updated opening dates and holiday hours so you can book your annual appointment to drink out of a Christmas ornament, early. 

As the nights draw in and the chill sets through the air, there’s no denying it: spooky season has officially arrived. The pumpkins are carved, the costume’s nailed and now there’s just one thing left to summon… a Halloween playlist wicked enough to get even the undead on their feet. Sure, the classic Halloween songs still reign supreme – we’re talking ‘Thriller’, ‘Ghostbusters’ and all the usual heavy-hitters. But lately, a new wave of pop phantoms has emerged to soundtrack your October nights. From Olivia Rodrigo’s ex-boyfriend bleeding her dry, to the enchanting spellwork of Lady Gaga a.k.a Mother Monster herself, with a detour through the slick, otherworldly beats of K-Pop’s most stylish demons – Halloween playlists have, quite literally, come back to life. Our favourite Halloween playlist songs for 2025 at a glance: Most iconic Halloween track: ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson Best new Halloween anthem: ‘Abracadabra’ by Lady Gaga Most dramatic Halloween song: ‘There Will Be Blood’ by Kim Petras Best Halloween anthem with a K-Pop twist: ‘Your Idol’ by Saja Boys Best Halloween track to dance to: ‘Monster Mash’ by Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers RECOMMENDED: 👻 The best Halloween movies of all time 🎤 The best karaoke songs 🎵 The best songs of 2025 so far 🕺 The best albums of 2025 so far

As ICE operations continue to crack down on immigrant communities in Minnesota, organizers across the country are coming together to help. New York is no different, as several businesses across the city participated in last month's nationwide protest, pausing service and raising funds for immigration reform and community building. In an added show of solidarity, several of Brooklyn's best bars and restaurants are continuing the work with a fundraiser all their own.  On Thursday, February 26th, RAD Restaurants and Gertie will be hosting ICE Belongs in Cups, a walk-around tasting to benefit mutual aid work in Minnesota. Several Brooklyn restaurants will be providing cocktails and bites for the cause, including the Bearded Lady, gertrude's, Pies n Thighs, Ursula and Whoopsie Daisy. All ticket sales will go toward a mutual aid operation spearheaded by Walker Bachman, a former Gertie employee. Made by hospitality workers, for hospitality workers, Bachman and his community in Minneapolis will be coordinating care boxes, buying, packing and delivering food, toiletries, and other essential goods to hospitality workers who no longer feel safe in their neighborhood.  Tickets are $100 per person and $25 for children. For those who cannot attend but still want to help, guests can purchase a donation ticket for $50. Buy your tickets here. 

The Food Education Fund (FEF) is a New York-based nonprofit that provides high school students from low-income backgrounds with the tools to succeed in the hospitality industry. Last year, FEF served more than 1,000 NYC students, providing classroom learning, hands-on experience and mentorship opportunities. This spring, the nonprofit is hosting its annual gala to raise funds for its mission-driven work, and several of New York's top restaurants are joining the effort. On March 18, the Food Education Fund is hosting The NYC Dine Around, presented by Food Education Fund. Held at Williamsburg's Skylight at The Refinery, the gala will gather some of the area's top chefs for an evening of delectable (and unlimited!) bites and drinks. Participating restaurants include Atoboy, Bonnie's, Crown Shy, Fan-Fan Donuts, K'Far, Lilia and Union Square Cafe. VIP ticketholders will have access to exclusive VIP tasting tables with Shukette, Laser Wolf and Theodora, plus cocktails from Please Don't Tell. General admission tickets are $250 per person; VIP tickets are $500. Reserve your ticket here. 

Hyderabadi Zaiqa’s footprint isn’t that much bigger than a hallway; its basement slip of space fits three low tables, a handful of red metal stools and is missing an ordering counter. And yet, this Hell’s Kitchen hideaway serves some of the best Indian food in town. We aren’t alone in this assertion, as the little restaurant that could has received praise from The New York Times, The Michelin Guide and has most recently become a meeting space for our latest mayor. It is due to the work of Mohammad Tarique Khan and Jayesh Naik, who have taken on the mighty task of sharing Hyderabad’s culinary history, peppering in dishes from the northern and southern sides of India. And they have done so extremely well with flaky, palm-sized samosas and tender chunks of chicken (or cauliflower) tossed in a shockingly-red sauce that blooms with sniffle-inducing heat. But their calling card lies with their biryanis, 15 of which feature on the menu. The Hyderabadi goat dum biryani is the most popular for a reason, as bones laced with tender meat and gelatinous, chewy fat sit like swollen humps underneath mounds of saffron and turmeric-tinged rice. The Hyderabadi goongura chicken biryani is a second favorite, whose chicken thighs easily soak up all the slightly sour, herbally and fiery notes, requiring good usage of the free raita or bright mint chutney to get you through. And before you request a knife, look around and you’ll soon see curry-coated fingertips, tossing and scooping bits of rice, g

Kent Zhang became a vegetarian years ago to align with his Buddhist religion. But following a no-meat lifestyle in New York in the '90s certainly proved difficult if not flavorless. He opened his own vegetarian Cantonese restaurant in Flushing in 1999, before relocating to Chinatown in 2004, where it remains today. And even though the banner that hangs outside still touts vegetarianism, all of the offerings here are actually vegan.  Inside, you'll find a no-frills but efficient operation, where you'll be seated in no time (busy nights will still get you a table in around 20 minutes). Once butts are in chairs, servers will quickly drop pots of tea that are just hot enough not to scald you and a handful of plastic-wrapped and paper menus that cycle through 200 different selections. Don't go dizzy just yet. Start by ticking off a few dim sum selections, such as the rice rolls with chopped bits of faux ham and the gluten-free fried taro dumplings with excellent lacy bits on the outside and a chewy, light bite on the inside. The soy nuggets swap in the sesame veg chicken and kung pao are a nice, hearty dupe, too, and the noodles are an easy fix. But a must-order goes to the sweet and sour sticky ribs, which Zhang lovingly recreated from his mother's kitchen. 

Park Rose is certainly an establishment that's perpetually in bloom. The ground-floor restaurant inside Hotel Park Ave, NY, speaks only in the language of spring, with cascading greens spinning from the ceiling and rosy-pink velvet booths and chairs stamped with more florals. It will certainly keep your date blushing with a wheeled cart that pours house-made vermouth tableside; you can drink it on the rocks or have it fashioned into a spritz. As for food, the menu cycles through Italian offerings that do little to challenge the genre, with nicely salted scallops served with a swipe of celery root and roasted peppers that are jammy-sweet but look a little like deflated balloons, with an odd, melted pool of stracciatella on top. There are certainly more thorns to sort out, including thin-crust pizzas that eat like run-of-the-mill flatbreads and an ndjua pasta that's billed as spicy but screams of a whole lot of paprika and not much else. The saving grace is a tiramisu that does its job (chocolatey with airy mascarpone) and the fact that the London import Seed Library is just a staircase away in the basement. But that isn't to say that Park Rose doesn't have its place in the garden, as a fun summertime tableside spritz with the girls is certainly an option. 

Little sister to Han Dynasty, Spicy Moon also spins up fiery Szechuan cuisine—steamed dumplings, fried rice and chili-slicked noodles. The kicker? The food here is all vegan, baby. From pint-sized beginnings in the East Village, the little vegan restaurant that could now has quite an impressive reach, with four total locations in Manhattan and a partnership with Goldbelly, so you can get their dan dan kits delivered to your door. But if you live in NYC, we say make a trip to the neon-wonderland that is the Bowery location. Clocking in at 11,000 square feet, the massive outpost could easily moonlight as a nightclub if it wanted to—and it kind of does, with a purplish pink-tinted dining hall that hosts DJs and drag queens. But food and drink remain the focus, as half of the restaurant functions as a brewhouse with massive copper tanks that brew a variety of gluten-free beers. Meanwhile, tables pile high with dumplings that swim in a fiery chile oil with bits of vegan chili crisp, crabless rangoons and peanutty dan dan noodles that have that good spring to them. Groups should add a shareable big bite to the table—we prefer the salt-and-pepper style with golden-fried veggies and tofu. But for a little nod to NYC, the spring rolls that spill out with a faux chopped cheese are never a bad idea.

Ryan Chetiyawardana, a.k.a. Mr. Lyan, is a bit of a legend in the bartending world, winning multitudes of awards for his approach to the no-waste cocktail movement (his former bar in London didn't even use ice) and even praise for his hot take on microwaved Manhattans. He made his stateside debut in D.C. some years ago and, last fall, expanded with a second location of his London bar in midtown Manhattan, where word of Mr. Lyan's koji-fermented and snail-brine tipples is spreading fast.  NY's Seed Library is nearly identical to its London counterpart, down to the name and hotel location—this time inside the basement of the Hotel Park Ave. The interior damn near mirrors the incredibly swanky 1960s lounge stylings of its former, with rust colored corners and a soundtrack supplied by vinyl. But New Yorkers have embraced it all the same, as signatures include a highly drinkable, unfiltered martini that leans on the humble potato for a sweet, almost coconutty-like finish, and an incredibly fun update on a whiskey sour known as the koji hardshake with savory miso that drinks smooth with the addition of cream, sugar and an egg white. The toasted marshmallow that sticks right out of the glass adds a waft of sweetness with each sip. It is easy to get cerebral here, with willing bartenders who are more than ready to share how enzymes from a sheep's pancreas factor into the grape-forward shepherd's delight cocktail, or why a touch of snail was the needed balance for a blackberry and le

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Black History Month. In celebration of the milestone, The Paley Center for Media is hosting a conversation with Black culinary trailblazers who have shaped television, media and American culture as we know it.  On February 17, join The Paley Center for Chef’s Night: A Culinary Tribute to Black History, featuring an iconic lineup of chefs and tastemakers gathering to discuss culture, community, and share their legacy through food. Panelists include Emmy-winning host, chef, author and restaurateur Kardea Brown; celebrity chef and founder of Harlem's Fieldtrip, JJ Johnson; James Beard Award-winning executive chef of Michelin-starred Saga, Charlie Mitchell; James Beard Award-winning chef, author, restaurateur and culinary pioneer, Alexander Smalls; and chef and owner of Melba’s, Melba Wilson. Producer, actress and host, Nia Renée Hill will be moderating the evening. Tickets are $20 for members, $25 for general admission. Buy your ticket here. 

According to Piper Kristensen, co-founder of Redwood Hospitality, "if you can smell it, you can distill it." And so, quite often you can find him nose deep in housemade syrups made of pine needles or clarifying mandarin juices via centrifuge. The apex of his quest to create complex, interesting drinks: Golden Ratio.  The Clinton Hill bar is all about maximum exploration of unexpected ingredients. Forget muddled strawberries; here they’re turning purple shiso, parsnip and even pine needles into syrups, aromatized waters and proprietary spirits. Much of what is used is rescued from sustainability-focused sister restaurants, sourcing tubs of Meyer lemon rinds from Place des Fêtes and leftover loaves from Laurel Bakery. What can't be spun up in-house is handed over to partner Joe McDowell, local distiller at Acid Spirits, who creates all kinds of concoctions, including bottles of olive brine and smoked grapefruit spirits. It is a highly involved endeavor, one that you'd need a thorough lesson and copious notes to fully grasp. But for the drinker at the bar, it comes off as entirely pleasing: a nastrium cocktail that tingles the nose and tongue with floral and peppery aromas, and a woody, fennel-y purple shiso-based tippler. Even better, all of the 16 or 20 or so cocktails that rotate get a soft, non-spirited counterpart, one that echoes the other as opposed to mirroring, meaning you won't see vodka swapped for Seedlip here. You may walk away with a new appreciation for something

Time Out Market New York, Dumbo, is all about bringing you the very best in the city—and now you can bring the very best of the city home with you. And no, we’re not talking about grabbing our stellar food to-go (though you’re welcome to do that, too). At the Market’s merch shop, you can find all kinds of covetable keepsakes and cool mementos to remind you of the top-notch experience you just had—from hoodies and hats to exclusive accessories you can only find here. And for a true, one-of-a-kind find, we’ve even got a corner where you can customize your goods, your way. 

What's the best time of year? Christmas season? Maybe. The coming of fall? Perhaps. Pancake Month? Yes—this one gives us reason to celebrate.  February marks the return of Pancake Month at Clinton St. Baking Company. The classic Americana restaurant and bakery on the Lower East Side will be griddling up pancakes of all kinds, doling out exciting flavors each week. Snag a table and sink your fork into inspiring creations such as the triple berry pancakes with rapberries, blueberries and strawberries accompanied with a meyer lemon curd (February 4-6), an apple pie variety ladled with caramelized apples with a cider glaze (February 9-11) and cinnamon roll pancakes with a cinnamon brown butter streusel, vanilla cream cheese glaze and a few shakes of cinammon sugar (February 18-20). As if that wasn't enough, the eatery is whipping up wild-card flavors on the weekends.  And if you aren't in Manhattan, you can swing over to their Brooklyn location in Time Out New York, Brooklyn. The market locale is running its own line-up of specials, including key lime coconut pancakes with key lime curd (February 9-13) and raspberry chocolate chunk with a raspberry-caramel sauce (February 16-20).   Check out the full lineup of eats below. Keep in mind: the restaurant will not serve these flavors at brunch.  Lower East Side calendar February 2-3 Maple bourbon pecan pancakes  February 4-6 Triple berry pancakes February 9-11 Apple pie pancakes February 12–13 Key lime coconut pancakes February 16-1

Queens still proudly wears its tag of "The World's Borough," serving as one of the world's most diverse areas. This month, some of the borough's finest are coming together to celebrate the area's cuisine. And it is all for a good cause.  Tuesday, February 24, marks the return of the Queens Centers for Progress' annual Evening of Fine Food. For its 30th year, the event will feature dishes from over a dozen countries, all celebrating community through cuisine and camaraderie. More than 23 eateries will be in attendance, including Astoria's masa-centric restaurant, Mayahuel Restaurant & Bar, plant-based Caribbean Bevo's Kitchen, and Aigner Chocolates—a chocolate shop that's been serving sweets for over 90 years. This is a benefit that gives back: proceeds from the evening will raise funds for QCP’s programs and services, including support for more than 1,200 individuals with developmental disabilities to lead more independent lives. The event will be held at Terrace on the Park. Tickets are priced at $150 per person. The event begins with a sponsor VIP reception at 5:30pm, followed by general admission from 6:30 to 9:00pm. Reserve your ticket here. 

When Tiffany Dockery sought to open a business in her neighborhood of Bed-Stuy, her approach was threefold: create a community for Black individuals (relevant given the shrinking population of the historically Black neighborhood), offer a third space for the queer community, particularly lesbians, and center it around her favorite medium: books. It seems she has done exactly that at Gladys Books & Wine.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gladys Books & Wine (@gladysbooksbk) Operating August of last year, the bi-level bookstore and wine bar has already hosted countless literary panels and reading nights next to trans spades nights and burlesque revues. It all ladders up to Gladys' core mission: centering Black queer stories and fostering community connections. And to celebrate its first Black History Month in business, Dockery released her theme for the month: Loving Blackness as Political Resistance. All February long, the bookstore will be hosting events surrounding Black love, to which Dockery says is the power that "always sustained us." Check out her list of recommended reads below. RECOMMENDED: Brooklyn Public Library just dropped a powerful new immigration-themed reading list The Way Love Goes: A Guide to Building a "Beaurtiful" and Everlasting Relationship by Da Brat & Judy “Perfect for couples seeking practical wisdom and inspiration. This guide offers honest, heartfelt advice on building lasting partnership from two women who've navigate

UPDATE: For our current list of chefs at Time Out Market New York, Union Square, reference our regularly updated feature on the Market's offerings. See you soon! It is official—Time Out Market New York, Union Square is now open!   That’s right, our latest Market is open and ready for business as of today. Inside the 20,000-square-foot space, you’ll find kitchens staffed by established names and up-and-coming talented chefs from across New York City, a selection of to-go goods and coffees and a curated line up of cocktails, wine and beer. Our latest market hall plans to follow in the footsteps of our sister market hall, Time Out Market New York, Dumbo. And that is to bring you the best of New York under one roof. Here’s what to expect at Time Out Market New York, Union Square. Who is cooking at Time Out Market New York, Union Square? From award-winning chefs to some of our beloved local favorites, the latest market hall has a little bit of everything to satisfy your cravings. Nosh on Jamaican patties from Patty Palace courtesy of Kwame Onwuachi; chargrilled kebabs and chicken biryani from James Beard Award winner Chintan Pandya of Kebabwala; suadero, al pastor and more Michelin-recommended tacos from Chris Reyes and Gerardo Alcaraz of Taqueria El Chato; burgers, fries and Sichuan-spiced mushrooms from the talented Sam Braverman of Lori Jayne; Neo-Neapolitan pizza and sandwiches from Michael Ayoub of Fornino; delectable Thai from award-winning pitmaster and chef Dhanapol "Oak"

Always thinking about food? Yeah, us too. But worry not, Time Out Market New York, Union Square, is here to feed you. The Manhattan market has a handful of vendors, backed by award-winning talent, ready to nourish you day and night with smashed burgers, stellar sandwiches and all the crab fried rice you can handle. Thirsty? We have that handled, too. All you have to do is saunter up to the 360-degree bar for crafted cocktails, wine and even beer inspired by the Market. But to truly make it a meal, we've made some recommendations to pair your next meal with a drink that matches. Photograph: Courtesy of Melissa Hom| Wagyu kebab at Kebabwala Borough Buck with the Prime NY Strip Beef Bihari from Kebabwala It would be relatively uncommon to find Wagyu at a roadside kebab stand in India. But lucky for us, Wagyu is a common occurrence at chef Chintan Pandya’s kebab stand in the Market. Here at Kebabwala, marinated hunks of beef hit the grill, cozied next to skewered slices of onions and red peppers. Wonderfully charred, the kebabs are then finished with a fiery and aromatic dusting of red chili, cumin and dried mango powder. For us, we think it is more flavor than fire. But if you need a little help to cull the heat, the Borough Buck ($15) will certainly be up to the task. The vodka mule with pomegranate and lime juices plus a bit of fizz from the ginger beer will surely keep you cool, thanks to a combo of mint syrup plus fresh sprigs of the stuff. Photograph courtesy of Time Ou

If Sean Williams had to ballpark it, he would guess that he's owned over 4,000 sneakers in his lifetime. However, Williams is so much more than a sneaker enthusiast. Working in the field for 20 years, Williams is behind a lot of firsts for the industry, including founding the inaugural sneaker podcast, Obsessive Sneaker Disorder, launching America’s first sneaker and culture academy, SOLEcial Studies Community Academy and—most recently—creating Time Out Market New York, Dumbo's first-ever merch shop, Time Out Swag. We caught up with the sneakerhead to learn about his addiction to shoes, when his love for kicks first started, how he knew it could be a business and what kind of specialty swag he is selling at the Market. You fell in love with sneakers when you were 13. What was it about the sneaker industry that drew you in?  I've always seen sneakers as a story in every box. Storytelling has always been my north star for a lot of things in my life. Over the years, as my relationship switched from consumer to industry professional, I became even more enamored with the stories and the business side of sneakers. Do you remember your first pair? I was 13 years old in 1984 when I begged [my mom] for them. It was a pair of sneakers from Puma, the model is called the Basket. So basically, my late mother is the enabler for my 40-year-long love affair with sneakers. When did you know that you could make this a career?  It took a long time for me to actually begin working in the indust

Whether you think it is the most romantic day of the year or a full-on capitalistic cash grab, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner—and there's no escaping it. If you happen to have a sweetie, we recommend getting a plan together ASAP so you aren’t left with a heart-shaped box of chocolates pulled straight out of the discount bin. RECOMMENDED: The 15 most romantic restaurants in NYC But before you think you have to drop hundreds of dollars on dinner and sparkles, there are more ways to celebrate V-Day. Feeling the love this season, Time Out Market New York, Brooklyn, is hosting a ton of events for sweethearts from candlelit dinners to dance parties to spice up the night. Not coupled up this year? We've got a little something for every relationship status, singles dance party and a voodoo-making workshop included. Curious? Here are five ways to celebrate Valentine's Day at Time Out Market. Photograph: Courtesy Hugo Neves| Pre-Valentine's Day Party Keeping it casual? This pre-Valentine’s Day party is for situationships and sidepieces. Single? Situationship? Sneaky link? We’ve got the party for you. Kicking off Valentine’s Day weekend on February 13, the market is hosting a little dance party for all the lovers. DJ Price Is Right will be setting the tone for a night of fun and flirting, with R&B slow burns, hip-hop party classics and afrobeats. And, if you need a break from the dance floor, we've got a lineup of signature cocktails just for the party.  Admission is free;

A flagship of Union Square since 1976 is the Union Square Greenmarket. Spread across the north and west sides of the park, the open-air market brings together over 140 vendors throughout the week, and has become a hub for New Yorkers to find fresh fruits and vegetables, heritage meats and award-winning cheese, all in one loop. Naturally, the direct connection to some of New York's greatest farmers makes it a hotspot for top chefs, including those who cook at our very own Time Out Market New York, Union Square, just across the street. Which is why this iconic produce destination was the perfect place to host our latest series: The Greenmarket Challenge. The Greenmarket Challenge is officially on! Each month, Time Out will head to the year-round market in search of unique ingredients. We will then deliver the goods to one of our talented chefs at Time Out Market New York, Union Square, who will be given one hour to create a one-of-a-kind dish. If it passes the taste test, the mystery dish will be prepared for everyone to enjoy. First up is our very own chef Dhanapol "Oak" Marprasert of Kam Rai Thai. We challenged chef Oak with four unique ingredients: bok choy from Halal Pasture Farms, shiitake mushrooms sourced from Bulich Mushroom Farm, meadow foam honey from Andrew’s Honey, and a real twist: honey mustard and onion pretzel bits from Union Square Pretzel Co.  But naturally, chef Oak took it like a pro. Taking it back to his home cooking roots, chef Oak whipped up a shrimp an

Today, Friday, January 30, activists are calling for a nationwide shutdown against immigration enforcement and ICE.   Following aggressive ICE-enforcement tactics in Minnesota, organizers are advocating for a day of “no work, no school, and no shopping," specifically protesting against the Trump administration and its immigration crackdown. The blackout follows a string of deaths connected to ICE across the nation, including those of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, Keith Porter in Los Angeles, Silverio Villegas González in Chicago and Geraldo Lunas Campos in Texas. RECOMMENDED: How to protest safely in NYC Businesses around New York are getting involved, with several restaurants participating in the strike by completely closing down business for the day. Eateries who cannot afford to shut down for the day are donating a portion of their profits to a variety of causes, including immigration reform and community building. Here is a list of participating businesses: Businesses that are closed: Athena Keke's: The business will be closed on Friday. A portion of sales for the rest of the week will go to New York Immigration Coalition.  Bar Snack: The business will be closed on Friday. Carnitas Ramirez: The business will be closed on Friday. Dolly's Coffee Shop:  The business will be closed on Friday. Fan Fan Doughnuts: The business will be closed on Friday.  Forsyth Fire Escape: The business will be closed on Friday. Ha's Snack Bar: The business will be closed on Fri

When Jason Harvey was in his twenties, he followed the path that most Kiwis do and bought a one-way ticket to Europe. To keep traveling across the country, he started selling ice at music festivals with a friend, but he knew it wasn’t quite working. At the same time, he gleaned that a neighboring stand at the festival was selling “terrible coffee” but “making a bunch of money.” It was all the motivation he needed to give the coffee business a go. Today, Harvey serves as the founder and chief executive of Common Coffee, a Scottish-born roastery that's rooted in the community around coffee. The segue into coffee wasn’t too far of a stretch for Harvey. Working as an outdoor instructor in his hometown of Auckland, New Zealand, his routine would start with beans, a percolator and brewed cups of the stuff, most of which he would prepare daily for colleagues. Back then, it was less about the taste and more about the communal ritual. “I thought I did it because I liked coffee. But really, what I did it for is the conversation that happened at the start of the day,” he says.  At the recommendation of a friend, Harvey moved to Scotland to begin building out his coffee business. There, he came across Jock, a jack-of-all-trades who owned a farm with an old coffee roaster. Harvey decided to cold-call Jock after his London coffee pop-up failed to discuss refurbishing his roaster and starting a business out of his workshop. Jock said yes and Common Coffee was born in 2018 with the purpose o

Roberto Santibañez doesn’t remember a time when he wasn’t in the kitchen. He grew up with a family that loved to cook, including a grandmother who regularly taught classes to fellow neighbors. By the time he was eight, he was regularly in charge of breakfast for his sisters.  “When I grew up, I never wanted to do anything else,” he shared.  The culinary world is all the better for it. Santibañez has authored several cookbooks—including the James Beard Award-nominated “Rosa's New Mexican Table" and “Truly Mexican”—and cooked in kitchens across France, Mexico City and at Austin’s famed restaurant, Fonda San Miguel. During his tenure at Rosa Mexicano, he introduced New Yorkers to regional Mexican cuisine.  “We did a lot of things that the city had really never seen,” he said, recalling standout dishes like the 24-ingredient mole negro, guacamole with Oaxacan pasilla peppers and Zarape de Pato—the duck dish that made him famous. “Once a Mexican friend came and said, ‘This really tastes like you are in an indigenous person’s house up in the mountains.’ And I said, ‘That's the point.’” In 2009, he continued telling the story of contemporary Mexican food on his own terms with the opening of Fonda—first in New York (Park Slope, Chelsea and Tribeca), and now in Nashville and even Tokyo. Today, more of his cooking returns to NYC with the opening of Tacos Fonda. On January 23, Tacos Fonda will open its doors at Time Out Market New York, Union Square, with a selection of classics. Tacos

Today, the James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for their time-honored awards, the James Beard Awards. Established in 1990, the James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards come together to “recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media and broader food system.” The official list of nominees will be released on March 31 and the winners will be crowned at an official ceremony on June 15. Given the expansive reach of our culinary scene, New York gets its own category when it comes to best chef. Semifinalists for Best Chef: New York State include Fariyal Abdullahi of Hav & Mar; Christophe Bellanca of Essential by Christophe; Sadie Mae Burns and Anthony Ha of Ha's Snack Bar (who ranked on our best restaurants list of 2025); Fidel Caballero of Corima; Giovanni Cervantes of Carnitas Ramirez; Aretah Ettarh of Gramercy Tavern; Efrén Hernández of Casa Susanna in Leeds, New York; Corwin Kave of Deer Mountain Inn in Tannersville, New York; Vikas Khanna of Bungalow; Hooni Kim of Meju; Yvan Lemoine of Tourmaline; Nate Limwong of Chalong; Cheng Lin of Shōta Omakase; Buddha Lo of Huso; Angie Mar of Le B; Ayesha Nurdjaja of Shukette; Joshua Pinsky of Claud; Mads Refslund of Ilis; Rafiq Salim of Rolo's; and Stefano Secchi of Rezdôra. Two chefs from New Jersey were recognized for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (which spans Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington D.C.): Russ Cowan of Radin's Delicatessen and Dav

Translating to traveler from the Hindi and Urdu word, Musaafer is a culmination of corporate executive chef Mayank Istwal’s 100-day journey across India, where he picked up techniques, stories and subsequently dishes along the way. His resulting 72-hour cooked Dal married with its grand “labyrinth-like layout” of a space housed within a Houston shopping mall earned the restaurant a Michelin Star on Houston's inaugural listing.  This August, the restaurant continued the journey, but up north, opening a second location right here in Tribeca. Bringing its opulence with it, the resulting 10,000 square-foot, bi-level space is a sight to see, from a soaring dining room that mimics the breathtaking masterpiece of the Taj Mahal to the mirrored, semi-private dining named the Sheesh Mahal. And as of last month, the restaurant’s underground bar is now ready to take you on another trip, this time exploring India via the glass. On September 10, the Musaafer team unveiled the basement-level bar Saaqi. The name, which translates to “one who serves wine," nods to the cupbearers of ancient Persia who once served wine to the royalty of the Mughal courts. Mirroring the opulence of the long-gone clientele, the 88-seat venture follows suit with grand portraits and paintings, 16th-century brickwork and low-slung chairs and couches wrapped in velvet. The showstopper of them all, however, goes to the all-glass, illuminated 40-foot bar that stretches the length of the room.   Photograph: Courtesy of

Not too long ago, a singular burger sparked a revolution in New York. It was a smash burger, whose seared edges and griddled glory spawned a trend we are still riding on. So where did it all start? All roads lead back to Smashed NYC.  But the craze it generated was all unintentional as for owner Mark Mendaros. For him, the burger was a matter of survival. Like many chefs, he had to pivot amid the pandemic. He closed his American bistro in the Lower East Side, fashioned a walk-up window and began hawking the best seller: the smash burger. Word quickly caught on, and within a year, smash patties became a hot trend. For Smashed, one location evolved into multiple, including one in Brooklyn, housed within our very own Time Out Market New York, Brooklyn. But now, as we look back on six years of razor-thin patties cropping up all across the boroughs, we have to ask, is the trend still going strong?  “I’ve watched the smash burger space grow a lot since we started,” says Mendaros. “We were the first to specialize in smash burgers here in NYC, but there is a lot of competition now." Recognizing that “the basics aren’t enough,” Mendaros has added the spice of variety to his menu, rotating through 13 different burgers, from bacon-jalapeno-topped numbers to a vegan variety.   “Smash burgers are popular now, but there is still room to surprise people,” he says. And it seems he has continued this noble mission at his latest location, now up and running in Manhattan.   Making its debut thi